Fracking is toxic
The June 17 article Hunt for oil in Big Cypress back in play says that fracking is “a process deployed out west on tough shale to flush oil using high-powered water guns.” But it omits that fracking involves injecting millions of gallons of toxic mixtures of water, sand and harsh chemicals deep underground at pressure high enough to fracture or dissolve the rock and release oil or gas. Fracking isn’t limited to “out west,” or to shale oil extraction, or hydraulic fracturing.
Additionally, the statement that fracking has never been tried in South Florida is false. A company was caught fracking outside Naples without a permit in 2013. The wastewater, disposed in Opa-locka, only came to light through investigative reporting. The oil and gas industries have worked to pass legislation to protect them from being forced to reveal the chemicals used and prohibit governments from banning or regulating fracking. It is unreasonable to assume future drilling in this area wouldn’t involve fracking. especially in Big Cypress, which would be detrimental to the delicate ecosystem.
Jennifer Ehrenfried, Fort Lauderdale
This story was originally published June 23, 2015 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Fracking is toxic."